


Pushed to the Back

by bookworm116



Category: Hey Arnold!
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-09-02 01:11:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8645386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookworm116/pseuds/bookworm116
Summary: Gerald grinned at phoebe, and she gave him a small smile back.suddenly, a perfectly aimed spitball flew past Gerald and hit Arnold square in the neck.he flinched, turned around, (annoyed) to stare at the girl with the blonde pigtails.she glared at him."what?"he simply rolled his eyes at her, turning back around in his seat.another spitball flew past Gerald.she always hit him directly.they were timed, too, every 8 minutes or so. sometimes Arnold would flinch even before she hit him.it was a routine they had gone through for the past 6 years, ever since first grade when Helga figured out how to make spitballs.Gerald was sick and tired of it.another spitball. whack."quit it!" "what?!"another one. whack.whack.then Gerald got a brilliant idea. he counted the seconds, then held his book up at the exact moment Helga launched the spitball.it hit the book.





	1. The Plan

Gerald grabbed his bag from his locker as he halfheartedly listened to arnold rant about Helga being mean to him.

He sighed and shook his head.

"Man, if you don't like her, then DO something about it."

Arnold stared at the ground.

"i'm just trying to ignore her."

Gerald didn't really want to say what he knew they both were thinking: that never really worked.

He noticed Phoebe putting books into her backpack across the hall. She was talking to Helga, though it looked like Helga was doing most of the talking.

Gerald grinned. Phoebe had to be the cutest girl in school.

Arnold kept talking but at this point Gerald didn't hear a word he said.

"Hey, Arnold, i'm gonna go talk to phoebe, okay?"

Arnold rolled his eyes then smiled at his friend.

"sure, Gerald."

Phoebe gave him a huge smile as he walked up to her.

"Hey there, Phoebe. can i walk you home?"

She put her hand in front of her mouth and for a second gerald thought she was going to turn down his offer. but she grinned again and told him, 

"sure!"

Arnold and Helga followed them, purely to try and talk to their respected "best friends."

but somehow, they ended up arguing for the umpteenth time that day.

Gerald and Phoebe walked ahead.

"I'm getting sick of this."

Gerald pointed behind him.

Phoebe nodded.

She bit her lip.

"but, Gerald, please don't tell anyone this... but.."

He turned to look at her.

"Helga like-likes arnold."

Gerald stood there for a second, then he started laughing.

"oh, that was a good one, Phoebe! hahahahahah!"

she glared at him.

"I'm not kidding."

she nodded to them bickering.

"she just doesn't want anyone teasing her. and she doesn't want to be turned down by arnold."

Gerald kept walking, and shoved his hands in his pocket.

"yeah, well arnold's been talking about her night and day. he called me last night at 3 in the morning! that boy is insane i tell you."

"i think he's in denial."

"i can ask him. i'm just sick of this-"

again he motioned to Helga and arnold, who were now yelling louder at each other.

"maybe we could get them together."

"it would stop this nonsense."

"you in?"

 "certainly, gerald."


	2. Messing with the System

Phoebe always got straight A's in every class, except poetry. Helga had  _tried_ to help her,  _tried_ to teach her, but it just didn't flow naturally for phoebe like it did for Helga. phoebe just didn't feel creative.

but when she looked at Gerald, thinking about the many possibilities they may have between them, Phoebe found it hard to concentrate on her schoolwork.

He just always looked so sure of himself. it was impossible not to admire Gerald, and perhaps... even... she shook the thought off quickly.

_Phoebe, you are not going to let some BOY interrupt your academic schedule, and you WILL NOT tolerate a silly crush..._

but it was not just a silly crush. Phoebe knew she had liked him for a while, they had been on dates, always when trying to manage with Helga and Arnold's chaotic relationship.

she tilted her head back against her chair, daydreaming about Gerald.

Mr. Simmons, (who had looped with the same class for the past 2 years,) brought her out of her dream.

"Phoebe, could you tell us what we were working on?"

she snapped to attention, looking desperately for any clue.

"er, uh, the Pythagorium theorem, Mr. Simmons! we were discussing how if you were to place a square on each side of a right triangle, the two smaller triangles would equal the big one exactly! it's a formula which was formed 2000 years ago, by Pythagoras! and-"

Mr. Simmons, having heard enough from the astute girl, raised his hands and smiled.

"that's quite enough, phoebe, I'm glad you brought your very special knowledge and attention with you today. now, class, we are all very special in our own unique and special ways..."

* * *

Gerald stared across the row of chairs at the black haired girl.

she had clearly been not paying attention, yet managed to tell Mr. Simmons all that off the top of her head.

_she's so smart._

Gerald grinned at phoebe, and she gave him a small smile back.

suddenly, a perfectly aimed spitball flew past Gerald and hit Arnold square in the neck.

he flinched, turned around, (annoyed) to stare at the girl with the blonde pigtails.

she glared at him.

"what?"

he simply rolled his eyes at her, turning back around in his seat.

another spitball flew past Gerald.

she always hit him directly.

they were timed, too, every 8 minutes or so. sometimes Arnold would flinch even before she hit him.

it was a routine they had gone through for the past 6 years, ever since first grade when Helga figured out how to make spitballs.

Gerald was sick and tired of it.

another spitball.  _whack._

"quit it!" "what?!"

another one.  _whack._

_whack._

then Gerald got a brilliant idea. he counted the seconds, then held his book up at the exact moment Helga launched the spitball.

it hit the book.

Gerald twisted in his chair to see Helga's reaction.

Arnold actually turned around when he didn't feel one.

phoebe, (and the rest of the class) watched with interest.

Helga and Arnold just stared at Gerald.

it was like Gerald had just paused time. everyone was staring at him. 

"uh, Mr. Simmons? may I use the restroom?"

"oh, yes Gerald. you may."

phoebe watched him go.

"Mr. Simmons? I have to return a book to the library, and I forgot to do it before class and it'll be overdue if I wait until lunch... may I be excused to return it?"

Mr. Simmons looked like he couldn't believe Phoebe Heyerdahl had forgotten a book.

but he sighed and relented.

"okay, phoebe, but be quick."

"i will Mr. Simmons."

 she hurried out into the hall.

"Gerald!"

he was leaning up against his locker.

"i cannot believe i just messed with their system like that."

phoebe giggled.

"did you see how surprised they were?"

 Both of them were laughing now, remembering the shocked looks on the faces of the two blondes.

Gerald stopped laughing first, and he looked up to see Phoebe giggling with her hand over her mouth.

He quickly looked away.

_How was it possible for one person to be so cute??_

"So, that was one way we messed up their routine... are there other ways?" Phoebe asked, jerking Gerald out of his thoughts.

"Everything they do is a routine. What we need is something to get them to stop arguing."

"Correct, Gerald, but maybe if we confused their typical antics, they would be more likely to behave in a different manner."

He nodded.

"Alright, let's mess some stuff up."

Phoebe frowned. "I feel sort of bad for messing up their whole.. Thing. that they do. It just doesn't seem right."

"Phoebe, they've been doing the same thing for, what, 6 years now? They need to get it together."

She nodded too, hesitantly. 

"Let's do it."

* * *

All throughout the next day, they changed things around.

Gerald grabbed the back of Arnold's shirt before he could round the corner to bump into Helga like he did  **every day,** and that ensued an awkward Arnold and Helga noticing that they hadn't bumped into each other, and also an awkward trying-to-get-around-each-other moment, because they kept going the same way.

Phoebe gave Helga a couple of books to hold just as it was Arnold's turn at the drinking fountain, and Arnold confusedly looked up when he didn't get a splash of water in his face. Helga gave him a confused look right back.

At recess, when Helga was taunting Arnold about his football head, his appearance, and his overall yutziness, (whatever the heck that meant, Gerald could only guess) Gerald accidentally-on-purpose tripped over something pushed into Arnold, and sent him flailing into Helga.        that stopped her insults cold. They looked at each other embarrassedly, and Gerald called out, "Sorry, man! I tripped!"

And then when math class rolled around, (Spitball central) Gerald pulled out the big guns and stopped every spitball she aimed at him.

Arnold looked thoroughly upset abut something, and he kept turning his head. 

Gerald didn't really understand his best friend's reaction, shouldn't he be somewhat happy that he wasn't getting spitballed?

Helga looked angry, and she whispered to Gerald, "what are you  **doing?** " 

Gerald just shrugged, and turned to face the front of the class.

they really were too predictable.

at the end of the day, Gerald didn't hear Arnold complaining about anything. 

Getting his books out of his locker, he turned to his buddy.

Arnold was leaning against the lockers, and his face was a look of someone extremely miserable.

"Hey, Arnold.. is everything.. Ok?"

He barely got out that sentence before Arnold interrupted.

"Helga hasn't done anything me  _all day._ Do you think she's feeling ok? maybe i should go check up on her, she probably hasn't left yet. Maybe something's going on with her parents... they can be a bit harsh sometimes but she usually takes it out on me! Something must be really wrong, Gerald!"

Gerald stared at him.

"And i mean, usually, there's at least 72 spitballs, and usually-"

"woah woah woah, hold up, you  _count_ them?"

"And usually she at least sprays me with the water fountain, but maybe she got tired of that today, but she usually follows up with something worse, like the gum, or the-"

" **Arnold. _calm down._** listen to yourself. You're concerned over spitballs. It's just Helga-"

"That's my point, Gerald!" Arnold was pacing now, counting reasons.

Gerald had no idea messing up a system like this could be so detrimental to Arnold.

 _detrimental_. He picked that word up from phoebe, probably.

Suddenly Arnold was off, walking at a surprising pace.

Gerald struggled to keep up.

"where are you going  _now?"_

Arnold and Helga smashed into each other as he turned the corner.

Gerald internally groaned. 

They apparently couldn't stop their old ways.

"Helga!" Arnold yelped, jumping up to help her off the tile.

Phoebe rounded the corner after them, going to Gerald's side.

"Helga seems sufficiently messed with, Gerald."

Gerald's look of disbelief when he looked over at her sort of startled Phoebe.

"Man. I.. yeah. Arnold's messed up too, man."

They looked over to where Arnold and Helga were standing.

And they were just standing. Standing and staring into each other's eyes.

Gerald sighed.

"How oblivious do you have to be..?"

He snapped his fingers to get Arnold's attention.

"I'm walking Phoebe home."

Arnold nodded, a dazed expression on his face.

"Can i.. can i walk you home, Helga?" He asked, and for once she just nodded.

Gerald and Phoebe just stared as the two walked out of the building together.

"Um.. Progress?" Gerald asked.

Phoebe grinned. 

"Progress."

 

 

 


End file.
